Friday, 11 November 2011

The Body Shop 4 Step Smoky Eyes Palettes

For this holiday party season, the Body Shop has created the Smoke & Sparkle makeup collection. As the name suggests, the collection is all about glamorous smoky eyes, glossy lips and twinkling sparkle. Creating the perfect smoky eyes is a very easy process with the two 4 Step Smoky Palettes in 01 Silver Black and 02 Golden Brown (S$39.90 each). Each palette contains three powder eye shadows, a glittery cream eyeshadow, an eyeliner pencil and a small eyeshadow brush with synthetic fibres. Both the eyeshadows and eyeliner pencil contain Community Fair Trade marula oil from Namibia. When I received the two palettes to review, I was immediately drawn to the Silver Black palette, which looks like it can create both glamorous and grungy rock smoky eyes with its combination of a shimmery icy white shade, a matte charcoal black, a satin smoky grey and a silvery glittery cream shade.The cream shade feels quite emollient to touch and contains micro flecks of silver sparkle, not chunky glitter. Each palette comes with application tips for creating the perfect smoky eyes in four simple steps. Using Too Faced Shadow Insurance as the base, I used the brush to apply the icy white shade over the browbone area down to the crease and the smoky grey shade over the eye socket area and the outer one-third of the lower lashline. Next, I smudged the matte black shade along the upper lashline and the silver cream shade along the lower lashline and over the smoky grey shade. I finished by applying Ettusais Bitaba mascara and Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Sequins along the upper lashline. I did try to use the black eyeliner pencil included in the palette but it tugged at my skin so I reverted to using my usual liquid eyeliner. The three powder eyeshadows applied smoothly and were easy to layer and blend. The matte black shade is great for adding definition and dimension by smudging it along the lashline and the outer "V". My favourite was the silver cream shade which brought the whole look together with a sparkly finish that catches the light beautifully. I wore this look for about eight hours and was impressed by how well it lasted on my lower lashline without creasing or sliding into the fine lines. There was a bit of creasing at the inner corners of the upper eyelid and a couple of random sparkles falling on my under eye area though. With the exception of the eyeliner pencil, the Silver Black palette was an instant winner for me as the eyeshadow shades worked so well together. The included brush looks small but it is actually very functional and works well for applying and blending both the powder and cream shades. I was able to create this look by using just this brush alone. The ingredients lists are below. The eyeshadow palette is made in Thailand, the eye pencil is made in the UK and the brush is made in China. The Smoke & Sparkle collection is already available in stores in Singapore, along with the Cranberry Joy, Candied Ginger and Spiced Vanilla bodycare and home fragrance collections. You can check out the Body Shop's current slate of promotions here.